Abstract: A system and method for allocating physical memory in a distributed, shared memory system and for maintaining interaction with the memory using a reservation protocol is disclosed. In various embodiments, a processor node may broadcast a memory request message to a first subset of nodes connected to it via a communication network. If none of these nodes is able to satisfy the request, the processor node may broadcast the request message to additional subsets of nodes until a positive response is received. The reservation protocol may include a four-way handshake between the requesting processor node and a memory node that can fulfill the request. The method may include creation of a reservation structure on the requesting processor and on one or more responding memory nodes. The reservation protocol may facilitate the use of a proximity-based search methodology for memory allocation in a system having an unreliable underlying transport layer.

Abstract: Use of a smart proxy as a wrapper around a stub in a distributed system. Instead of receiving a stub as a result of a remote procedure call, a caller receives a smart proxy including the stub as an embedded object. The smart proxy performs predefined processing associated with a remote procedure call, the processing possibly occurring before, during, or after a response to the call.

Abstract: A system provides a model for use within a digital environment. The model comprises at least one music segment, and supplies music for the digital environment. The system identifies a location within the digital environment. The location requires at least one music segment supplied by the model. The system selects at least one music segment to play within the digital environment. The music segment is selected based on the model, the location requiring the at least one music segment, and the digital environment. The selecting of the music segment is operable to be modified based on the model, the location requiring the at least one music segment, and the digital environment.

Abstract: A data storage system includes a plurality of servers, a plurality of external interface providers each deployed on one of the servers, and a plurality of data storage controllers each deployed on one of the servers. Each of the providers is configured to receive a data access request, to identify one of the controllers that can satisfy the request, and to forward the request to the identified controller. The system further includes a plurality of data storage modules independent of the servers. The providers, controllers and modules are in communication with each other. Each of the controllers exclusively manages a portion of data content in at least one of the modules, and satisfies data access requests received from the providers by accessing the portion of data content in the at least one module.

Abstract: One embodiment provides a system that analyzes telemetry data from a monitored system. During operation, the system periodically obtains the telemetry data as a set of telemetry variables from the monitored system and updates a multidimensional real-time distribution of the telemetry data using the obtained telemetry variables. Next, the system analyzes a statistical deviation of the multidimensional real-time distribution from a multidimensional reference distribution for the monitored system using a multivariate sequential probability ratio test (SPRT) and assesses the integrity of the monitored system based on the statistical deviation of the multidimensional real-time distribution. If the assessed integrity falls below a threshold, the system determines a fault in the monitored system corresponding to a source of the statistical deviation.

Abstract: Some embodiments of the present invention provide a system that implements a safepoint for a thread, which includes a compiler and a runtime environment. During compilation of an application to be executed by the thread, the compiler obtains a register to be associated with the thread and inserts safepoint code into the application, wherein the safepoint code includes an indirect load from a memory location stored in the register to the register. During execution of the application by the thread, the runtime environment writes a thread-specific value for the thread to the register, wherein the thread-specific value corresponds to an enabled value, a triggered value, or a disabled value. In these embodiments, executing the indirect load by the thread causes the thread to trap if the thread-specific value corresponds to the triggered value.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a system which executes a load instruction or a store instruction. During operation the system receives a load instruction. The system then determines if an unrestricted entry or a restricted entry in a store queue contains data that satisfies the load instruction. If not, the system retrieves data for the load instruction from a cache.

Abstract: A method of reproducing runtime environment for debugging an application is disclosed. The method includes accessing an optimizer file from a non-volatile storage medium. The optimizer file includes a runtime environment, application definition information, and a log. The log includes summaries of a plurality of events, the plurality of actions, and a time mark of occurrence for each of the plurality of actions. A runtime environment for debugging the application is then defined and the application runtime is set up using the application definition information in the optimizer file.

Abstract: Location-independent references include a live reference containing a location of a remote object and a universally unique identifier (UUID) which provides a unique global reference to that remote object. If a method call to the remote object using the live reference fails, the UUID is used to obtain a new reference to the remote object and the new reference is then used to make another method call. A new reference can be obtained from an identifier directory that contains a mapping between UUIDs and location-independent references. When a remote object is first created, or when a remote object is moved from one location to another, the remote object registers with any and all such directories that it can find in its environment. These registrations are leased; that is, if they are not occasionally refreshed by the remote object which registered them, they are dropped from the directory.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for transparent, steerable recommendations. A steerable recommender uses tag clouds including descriptive tags and associated weights to generate recommendations. Users may dynamically interact with the recommender via a user interface to steer the recommendations. A tag cloud for an item is displayed, items for which associated tag clouds are most similar to the displayed tag cloud are identified, and the items are displayed as recommendations. The strength of similarity of the items to the displayed tag cloud may be displayed. The user may modify a tag cloud, for example by changing the weight of a tag or by adding or removing a tag, and the recommendations may be automatically updated to reflect the modification. A recommended item may be selected to display the tag cloud corresponding to the item. A user may select a user interface element to request information on why a particular item was recommended.

Abstract: A method of exchanging a series of communication primitives during one or more communication sessions between two or more communication units is provided. In one embodiment, the method includes providing a first communication primitive including at least a first destination ID identifying at least a first communication unit as a receiver of the first communication primitive. The method also includes providing first data in the first communication primitive that reflects a first return destination ID identifying at least a second communication unit as a sender of the first communication primitive. Further, using the first data, a second destination ID is determined that is included in a second communication primitive sent from the first communication unit to the second communication unit.

Abstract: Systems and methods (“utility”) for sorting a plurality of complex objects are provided herein. The utility may include a sorting algorithm that sorts references to the complex objects, rather than the complex objects themselves, such that the need to copy and swap complex objects in their locations in memory is reduced. Further, the sorting algorithm may utilize a recursive divide and conquer process, using multiple pivot elements at each sorting level. For example, the sorting algorithm is based on a modified Quicksort algorithm that uses multiple pivot elements at each level to sort an array of references that point to complex objects.

Abstract: A system and method for balancing instruction loads between multiple execution units are disclosed. One or more execution units may be represented by a slot configured to accept instructions on behalf of the execution unit(s). A decode unit may assign instructions to a particular slot for subsequent scheduling for execution. Slot assignments may be made based on an instruction's type and/or on a history of previous slot assignments. A cumulative slot assignment history may be maintained in a bias counter, the value of which reflects the bias of previous slot assignments. Slot assignments may be determined based on the value of the bias counter, in order to balance the instruction load across all slots, and all execution units. The bias counter may reflect slot assignments made only within a desired historical window. A separate data structure may store data reflecting the actual slot assignments made during the desired historical window.

Abstract: Various systems and methods implement multiple classes of device IDs. A computer system may include a network, a sending device, and a receiving device. The sending device is configured to encode less than all of a device ID identifying the sending device in a packet before sending the packet on the network. In response to receiving the packet, the receiving device is configured to send a responsive packet to the sending device. The receiving device is configured to encode the entire device ID identifying the sending device in the responsive packet. A portion of the device ID that the initiating device does not encode in the packet identifies the initiating device as one of the devices in a particular device class. Only devices in that device class are configured to send packets having a characteristic of the packet on the network.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses are presented for managing remote computers that are separated from their manager by a firewall. In one or more embodiments, the apparatus includes one or more computer sub-systems managed by the remote manager. Each sub-system includes a processor and a communication interface coupled to the processor, where the communication interface is further coupled to the remote manager via a network. A firewall is implemented between each sub-system and the remote manager such that the firewall blocks accesses to the sub-system from the remote manager. Notwithstanding the presence of the firewall, and without an specific routing through the firewall, each sub-system receives configuration commands from the remote manager through as a text feed.

Abstract: A system and method for automatically linking partitions on storage media for use within a storage management system is provided to minimize wasted space on the storage media, the time and expense traditionally spent reclaiming partitions containing invalid data, and the computer processing capability required to write data to and read data from the storage media. The storage management system includes a partitioned storage tape, a host application running on a server, and an archive device. The host application is operative to track location information for each host file or data object written to the storage tape. Using the location information, the host application is able to identify one or more “free” or writable partitions that are created on the storage tape as host files expire.

Abstract: System and method for designing, developing and implementing Internet Service Provider (ISP) architectures. One embodiment of a method for designing and implementing ISP architectures may include formulating a set of design requirements for an ISP architecture, establishing an architectural model for the ISP architecture using the set of design requirements, generating a logical design for the ISP architecture from the architectural model and the set of design requirements, and generating a physical design for the ISP architecture using the architectural model and the logical design. One embodiment may also include selecting one or more components of the ISP architecture and implementing the ISP architecture according to the logical design and the physical design. In one embodiment the system and method for designing, developing and implementing ISP architectures may be used to design, develop and implement an N-tiered ISP architecture.

Abstract: A multi-grid mechanism using peer-to-peer (P2P) platform protocols. An autonomic grid computing mechanism may be used to implement a multi-grid grid computing system. In the multi-grid grid computing system, there may be multiple master nodes, and thus multiple smaller grids (or grid cells) each including one or more compute nodes, in a single (larger) grid. A job submitter node may use one or more P2P platform protocols to discover the master nodes and to obtain information about the grid cells, including information that may be used by the job submitter to automatically select one of the grid cells that is suitable to execute a particular job. After selecting the grid cell, the job submitter may submit the particular job to the master node of the grid cell using the P2P platform protocols.

Abstract: Some embodiments of the present invention provide a system that organizes and consolidates the functionality of a portable device. During operation, the system tracks the usage of at least one application and at least one data file by a user of the portable device. Next, the system determines usage-context information from the tracked usage and generates a chronological log that includes the tracked usage and the usage-context information. Finally, the system displays the chronological log to the user in a manner which enables the user to use the usage-context information to access the functionality of the portable device.

Abstract: A dynamic-bridge connects a collection of tests (e.g., proprietary tests) to a testing-framework and effectively allows the collection of tests to interface with the testing-framework, thereby allowing the development environment and tools that support the testing-framework to also support the collection of tests. The dynamic-bridge provides a dynamic test wrapper which can be dynamically constructed for a test and present it as a test which conforms to or is compatible with the testing-framework and executed within the testing-framework. Test results are reported in a form that is expected or acceptable by the framework. In effect, the dynamic test wrapper simulates executing the test in the testing framework. As a result, tools which have been integrated with the testing-framework can be used to support tests which may originally not conform or be compatible with the testing-framework.